11/15/2002 
The Daily News

He's truly a musical man of the world
By ISAAC GUZMAN
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER

Ruben Blades already has enough occupations to cover a résumé several 
times over. Since beginning his musical career in the mid-'60s, the 
Panamanian star has also been a lawyer, actor, presidential candidate 
(in his home country) and author.
But with his latest album, "Mundo" ("World"), Blades has added 
another hyphen to his list of achievements: musical ambassador. The 
record blends his classic Latin salsa sound with Celtic pipes, Middle 
Eastern percussion and Brazilian strings. He'll be playing his new 
songs at Copacabana tonight.
Blades says the musical stew is partly his attempt to live up to 
promises he made when appointed a United Nations goodwill ambassador 
for the World Conference Against Racism in 1999. By cross-pollinating 
musical cultures, he hopes to open up an international dialogue.
"Racism is not going to go away on its own," he says. "I think it's 
important that every single cultural manifestation should deal with 
what's best in our spirit as opposed to what's worst. This is not 
preaching stuff. This is just common-sense stuff."
But being a UN representative and touring don't always jibe for 
Blades. At 54, he likes staying at home in Los Angeles, occasionally 
venturing out for a television or film role.
"I wish I could tour from my bed," he says. "It's always a thrill 
when you're on stage. But you have three hours of joy and 21 hours of 
hell. The older I get, the worse it seems."
And if the grind of the road weren't enough, Blades even has a beef 
with some of his fans. He can't stand it when they don't know his new 
work but demand to hear classics such as 1980's "Tiburon" or 1978's 
"Pedro Navaja."
"I'm not a jukebox filled with oldies," he says. "This is not a 
nostalgia tour. That's important to tell people, because there's this 
perception that you're somehow an employee of the audience. I'm not 
there to take requests. It's not a bat mitzvah."
But don't worry. Even if a few people bug him to croon "Canto 
Abacua," he still loves New York, the city he moved to after leaving 
Panama in 1974.
"In New York, not only did I make myself in terms of my music, but 
it's also a place where I developed as a person," he says. "So I have 
a tremendous amount of affection for New York."
As long as no one calls out for "Pablo Pueblo," his 1977 
collaboration with Willie Colon.